Houthi rebels welcome week-long ceasefire in Yemen

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the president of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, the highest authority of the Houthi Shia rebel faction in Yemen, welcomed on Friday the week-long humanitarian truce announced the evening before by the UN.

Sanaa: Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the president of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee, the highest authority of the Houthi Shia rebel faction in Yemen, welcomed on Friday the week-long humanitarian truce announced the evening before by the UN.

Speaking to Yemeni state news agency Saba, Al-Houthi was hopeful that the truce, which would go into effect on Friday at midnight and last until July 17, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, would be the beginning of the end of Saudi aggression.

"The priority is to stop the aggression against Yemeni people and lift the siege," the Houthi official said, stressing the need for ending the land, sea and air blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.

Al-Houthi explained that his group`s stance toward the ceasefire was for the sake of the people living under oppression with basic needs not being met, as the country heavily depends on imported products.

On its part, the General People`s Congress Party, led by former Yemeni president and Houthi ally Ali Abdullah Saleh, equally hoped the ceasefire would be extended and lead to a total end of the Saudi aggression on Yemen, Efe news agency reported.

The party called for reviving a political process, according to an official statement, and specifically for Yemeni political parties to come to the negotiating table "away from any kind of foreign interference".

Since the beginning of the Saudi-led Arab coalition bombings in late March, more than 3,000 people have died and one million have been displaced.